Chapter 1 The Betrayal on Christmas Eve

**Ophelia's POV**

I'm pregnant!

And Christmas is coming soon!

It's tomorrow. And it will be the fifth Christmas I've spent with my beloved husband, the most handsome, understanding, and loving man, Elio.

This year also marks our fifth wedding anniversary. It will be at the end of the year, just before the new year.

That's why December is such a special month for us. Because it was in this month that we finally realised our love in the form of marriage.

But this Christmas will be the most special one yet. Because after five years of waiting, I am finally pregnant!

Yes, Elio and I have been waiting for this baby since our first year of marriage. However, all our efforts had not yet borne fruit. Until today, on this sacred night, the child we have been waiting for has finally decided to live in my womb.

It has been there for two weeks!

Ah, I can't wait to tell Elio about my pregnancy. As a Christmas present tomorrow.

I can even imagine that tonight, after coming home from church, we will spend time in our room, curled up under the blanket, cuddling while watching the snow that is now falling heavily. Then I will suddenly give Elio the pregnancy test results. With a little drama, of course, because I want this pregnancy announcement to be memorable for both of us.

I can already imagine Elio's reaction and expression when he finds out about my pregnancy. He will definitely be very happy and touched. Or he might even cry out of happiness.

My pregnancy is truly the most beautiful Christmas gift we have ever had. And for me personally, this pregnancy is a breath of fresh air after all the storms that have occurred in my life.

Oh, I really can't wait to tell Elio. Just a little longer, just one more turn, and I'll be home.

Elio said he was also coming home early from work today. Because tonight, a snowstorm is predicted. So he wants to get home before he gets stuck and can't come home.

He said he didn't want to leave me alone on this memorable night. And I also asked him to just come home without picking me up because our workplaces are in opposite directions today.

Oh anyway, so the story is that I had just returned from a client's event, after playing the violin.

Yes, I am a professional violinist. And today happened to be my client's child's 17th birthday. So I accepted it, considering it a Christmas present for the child. Because usually I don't take any gigs the day before Christmas. But especially tonight, I took it.

"Please stop here," I said to the taxi driver. After that, I quickly put on my jacket hood and jumped out.

I walked carefully with my violin case slung over my shoulder. After all, the snow was as high as my knees, and our yard was covered, so I didn't want to fall.

There were tyre tracks from Elio's car and also footprints leading to the front door.

I was sure the big footprints belonged to Elio because his shoes were big. But...

Whose were the smaller footprints?

As far as I could remember, we hadn't invited any guests tonight. Usually we would be very busy tonight, in bed, that is. Then after passionate lovemaking, we would go out for a while to play in the snow. And, before going to bed, we would take a warm bath and soak together.

It was always like that. It had been like that since the first year of our marriage.

So I was very surprised by the arrival of this uninvited guest. I was also very curious about who it was. Because Elio hadn't told me anything about this.

But what was clear was that the footprints belonged to a woman. The imprint clearly showed high heels.

But I didn't want to think negatively at first because maybe they belonged to Elio's personal assistant who was visiting suddenly for something important. Elio did have a female assistant for office matters.

But even though I tried to push those negative thoughts aside, I couldn't understand what kind of important business the two of them had to do right now.

Especially when I managed to open the door, the house was very dark. There was no one there and I couldn't see anything.

Meanwhile, the footprints disappeared right at the door. It was as if the owner was walking without touching the floor.

For some reason, my gut feeling told me that I had to keep my mouth shut. So when I walked around the first floor, I didn't say a word, even calling Elio's name.

I entered room after room. From the living room, family room, kitchen, laundry room, to the bathroom. But there was no one there.

Strangely, my heart kept telling me to keep looking until I found Elio.

My intuition told me that something was wrong.

Earlier I could’ve denied it, but now I couldn't anymore. After seeing the state of the house, after seeing those footprints, I could no longer think positively.

And my negative thoughts seemed to be confirmed by the bright light I saw coming from the direction of the swimming pool.

I held my breath as I walked there.

However, when I opened the door to the swimming pool, it was also empty, no one was there.

I observed the direction of the light. It led me to our room on the second floor, the only room with the lights on.

At that moment, my heart began to beat rapidly. My stomach felt queasy and my eyes were blurry.

I held my head and tried to chase away those bad thoughts.

However, that was immediately contradicted by the shadows of two people, a woman and a man, having sex.

The shadows came from our room, reflected on the high wall near the swimming pool.

From the shadows, I didn't need to think twice and I was sure that the man was Elio. But the woman on top of him... I didn't know who she was.

I covered my mouth tightly with both hands, watching how they moved erotically with the woman on top of Elio.

I couldn't say anything. My hands were shaking and my limbs suddenly felt weak.

Next to this swimming pool, under the heavy snowfall, on the day I found out I was pregnant, I watched my husband make love with another woman.